You can help sustain PilotYid.com, as well as help it grow by either creating new Jewish PalmOS software for me to add to the Software Collection, or you can help financially to ensure that I am able to continue working on this site. Please see the Support PilotYid page for more information on how you can easily help support this site, as well as how you can have your name listed on the Supporters of PilotYid Page. Thanks.

All of the files in the Software Collection are in the .zip format meaning that they are compressed so that they download faster. You'll need an unzipping program to decompress the file after you have downloaded it. If you are using Windows 95/98/NT I recommend using WinZip which is available in the File Viewer section of the Software Collection, and if you are using a Macintosh then I recommend using Aladdin Systems Expander also available in the File Viewer section. After downloading and decompressing the files, you simply use the Palm Install Tool that came with your Palm Desktop software to install the necessary files, you can find out more about the Palm Install Tool in the User's Guide that came with your Palm.

There is a good tutorial here:
http://www.palmsource.com/applications/howto.html

Here is another:
http://www.jimthompson.net/palmpda/Tips/downloadtips.htm

Also, Handango has two Palm software download and installation tutorials here:
http://software.palm.com/Palm_Tutorial.jsp

and here:
http://www.handango.com/Palm_Tutorial.jsp

and PDAVerticals also has a good how-to guide for installing Palm files:
http://www.pdajd.com/vertical/tutorials/guides/installsoftware.xml

After reading those four tutorials you shouldn't have any trouble downloading and installing Palm software from PilotYid's Software Collection.

Although you cannot run Palm programs on any of the above PDA types (i.e. WinCE, PocketPC, Newton, HP 100/200lx, Blackberry, or Psion), you can read DOC files on those machines, as long as you have a DOC reader for your particular handheld. Almost all of the files in the 'English Texts' section of the Software Collection are in DOC format, so you should be able to read those on your non-Palm handheld. I am not sure if it is possible to read Hebrew DOC files on those machines as well, I would guess that you would need to install some sort of Hebrew font before being able to read a Hebrew DOC, once again, if anyone has any information on reading Hebrew DOCs on a non-Palm PDA Please let me know.
The nice folks at Memoware.com maintain a page listing the different DOC readers that are available for non-Palm devices, so to find a DOC Reader for your non-Palm PDA please use the link below:
http://www.memoware.com/mw.cgi/?screen=help_other

And I'm sorry but I don't know of any websites similar to PilotYid.com for any of these platforms either, but I hope to have some Blackberry and PocketPC software in the future, so please send me an email at Ari@PilotYid.com and I will notify you when I do.

Palm DOC files, which are not to be confused with the Microsoft Word DOC files, are the standard PalmOS text format. This means that most simple text documents that are made for the Palm will be in this format. This allows you to read text documents on your Palm. DOC files are also compressed so that they take up less space on your Palm. You will need a DOC reader installed on your Palm to be able to decompress and read these files. You cannot read a DOC file without some sort of DOC reader. Just about all of the English and Hebrew texts in PilotYid's Software Collection are in the DOC format. I have a few decent DOC readers listed in the File Viewer section of the Software Collection. In addition, memoware.com maintains a good list of DOC readers to choose from, as well as other information about DOC files and other Palm file formats here:
http://www.memoware.com/mw.cgi/?screen=help_format

If you would like to be able to read DOC files on your Windows PC, I suggest using Easy DOCViewer, which I wrote just for that purpose.

Chances are that you are installing a DOC file without having a DOC reader installed on your Palm (See question above). This is true for almost any Palm file that requires a viewer that isn't installed on your Palm, such as an iSilo file or a JFile file. I always list any viewers that are required for any file and have a link to them in the File Viewer section. Please read the descriptions if you don't know what type of viewer you need for a particular file. Once again, you can look at the following page for more help on DOC readers and other file formats:
http://www.memoware.com/mw.cgi/?screen=help_format

PilotYid needs your help if it's ever going to grow. For example, a kosher traveler could benefit from a list of Kosher restaurants for various cities, or perhaps a listing of local synagogues. If you would like to help support PilotYid by creating and adding English or Hebrew texts to the Software Collection please keep reading.

Most of the text files in our Software Collection are in the PalmOS 'DOC' format (see question #4) which is the standard document format for the Palm. Surprisingly enough, creating DOC files is a pretty simple process. You start with a simple text file that you can create in any text editor, or if you want to use a word processor such as Microsoft Word, you can save it as a text file (.txt) using the 'Save As...' command in the 'File' menu. Then you just have to use one of the many available DOC converters to convert your text file to a Palm DOC file. There are converters available for just about every major operating system. Some of the converters have a simple text editor built-in so that you can create the file and convert it, all inside one program. For a very good list of these converters (including a converter that will convert directly from MS Word files) see memoware.com's page at:
http://www.memoware.com/mw.cgi/?screen=help_create

If you're using MS Windows then I personally recommend BigDoc, MakeDocW, and TWord (created by a PilotYid user).

Some of the Hebrew text files in the Software Collection were created by scanning a Hebrew text into a computer and then converting the image to the Palm Image Viewer format, which is the standard graphic format for the PalmOS. This avoids the need for Hebrew Support to be installed on your Palm in order to read the file (although the file tends to take up more memory on the Palm, since it is an image rather than text.). One good program for converting images to the Palm Image Viewer format is the FireViewer converter from:
http://www.firepad.com/products/fireconverter/

Note: If you do create files that belong in the Software Collection, please send them to me at Ari@pilotyid.com so that I can put them up on PilotYid, allowing other Jewish palm users to download them here. Thanks.

The PilotYid Announcement List is a list that you can join in order to receive the updates that I send out. I usually don't send out updates more than about once every month and a half, so you don't have to worry about receiving too much e-mail. My updates will notify you of the new software that has been added to PilotYid as well as any other PilotYid news. To join the Announcement List you can simply enter your e-mail address into the window that pops up when you come to PilotYid.com or click on the 'Mailing List' link that is at the top of every page on the site.

If your e-mail address changes or you just want to change the address that the PilotYid email get sent to, you should go to the Home Page of the list that you would like to change:

The PilotYid Announcement List Home Page:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/pilotyid
or
The PilotYid Discussion List Home Page:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/pilotyid-discuss

After logging in, you can click on 'Edit Membership' (on the top of the screen) and you will have the option of changing your e-mail address as well as other options.

To unsubscribe from the PilotYid mailing lists, you have two options:
1. Go to the Home Page of the list you would like to unsubscribe from (above), and click on the 'Leave Group' link (in the top-right). Or
2. To unsubscribe from the Announcement List send a blank e-mail to
pilotyid-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
and to unsubscribe from the Discussion List send a blank e-mail to
pilotyid-discuss-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com

Please note that these e-mails must be sent from the e-mail address that you used when you signed up for the list (the address that the e-mails from the list are currently coming to).

I have been asked about the halachic ramifications of storing holy texts in a Palm device numerous times, but since I am not a Rabbi, I cannot give my own opinion. I have seen this question discussed in other places though, and here they are. Please note, the views herein are not necessarily the views shared by PilotYid.com or its affiliates :-)

Ohr Somayach's Ask The Rabbi Page:
http://www.ohrnet.org/ask/ask269.htm#Q3

IsraelWire:
(IsraelWire-5/21/00) "More and more members of the Orthodox community can be found using their trusty Palm Pilots for spiritual tasks, such as prayers, grace after meals, learning Torah, and more. Rabbi Ephraim Zalmanovitz, the spiritual leader of Mazkeret Batia, has issued a halachic (Jewish law) ruling that one who has 'holy' software installed on one's pilot, and drops it, one must kiss it as one does to a holy book such as a prayer book or Psalms."

In regards to copying software in general:
http://www.ohrnet.org/ask/ask075.htm

If you are having trouble either installing or using a particular application that you downloaded from the Software Collection there are a few things you can do:

• Try reading the directions that come with the application, usually in the form of a ReadMe file or some other text file that was in the Zip file you downloaded. Believe it or not, this can very often solve your problem.
• Write to the author of the program, I always list the author and link to his/her website or e-mail address next to the application itself.
• Join the PilotYid Discussion List so that you can ask the other Jewish Palm users on the list for some advice. For information on the Discussion List please see Question #7 or the Mailing Lists page.
• If it is a problem with installing the application try looking at Question #2
• You can also try finding your local computer wiz and asking him/her, they're usually glad to help.

Please do NOT write to me about problems with a specific application as I usually will not be able to help you. Thank You.

As far as I know, you can not view Hebrew on your Palm Desktop unless you are using a Hebrew version of Microsoft Windows. If you are using a Hebrew version of Windows, please see the link below for instructions:
http://www.penticon.com/desktopfix.html

If you are not using Hebrew Windows, you can try using a program called DeskPilot on your PC that allows you to view your Palm data on your PC. I've been told that you can use this to view your Hebrew data on your PC, even if you're not running Hebrew Windows. You can get DeskPilot at:
http://members.bellatlantic.net/~dccase/pilot/deskpilot.htm

You might have to download and and setup Hebrew fonts on your PC for the Hebrew to work in DeskPilot. Please keep in mind that I have never tried this, so I cannot offer anymore help. Thanks.

If you have lost the registration number/key for software that you have paid for, and need it again, either because you have lost your Palm, got a new one, or because you have lost all of the data on your Palm, you should contact the author of the software that you have purchased. I cannot help you with the registration numbers as I do not sell the software. All of the software that I have listed in the Software Collection has a link to the author's web page or e-mail address listed next to it. If you are looking for the registration key for Hebrew Support or Luach, please contact the people at Penticon at www.penticon.com.

I designed PilotYid.com to look good in any web browser that supports the current standards as designated by the World Wide Web Consortium. All modern browsers should support these standards. If you are using an older browser that doesn't support these standards, this site might not look very good, although it is still fully functional. Any version of Netscape Navigator earlier than version 6 does not fully support these standards, and therefore won't be able to display this site very well. If your browser is having trouble with this site, I recommend upgrading to a newer, free, web browser such as:

Netscape Navigator: http://wp.netscape.com/computing/download
Microsoft Internet Explorer: http://www.microsoft.com/windows/ie
Mozilla: http://www.mozilla.org
Opera: http://www.opera.com/download

For more information about web standards and the browsers that support them, please see:
webstandards.org

As far as Hebrew Support, Penticon's Hebrew Support does not yet work on OS5, but you have 2 other options for reading and writing Hebrew on your Palm, and you can get a discount on them when you buy them using the PilotYid Discount Code. See these 2 pages for more info:
http://www.pilotyid.com/discounts.php
http://www.pilotyid.com/hebrew_support_faq.php
As far as the other software in the Software Collection most of them should work on OS5, but you can contact the authors of the software to be sure.

Almost all of the software listed in the Software Collection is made to run on the PalmOS, NOT on Windows or Mac. That is, it runs on your PalmOS device and not on your computer, so you should be able to use just about all of the software here regardless of what kind of computer you are using. But, there are a few things listed in the Software Collection that are meant to be run on your computer and not your Palm, you can find these in the 'Desktop' category in the Software Collection. Also, for each listing, where it says 'Requires...', you will note that some say 'MS Windows'. These listings will only work on a Windows PC. See question #2 for more help on download and installing software.